Chapter 333 Going south with the army and exchanging days
After Shi Bao found the letter Deng Ai wrote to him, he gently patted the dust on the letter.
After dusting off the letter, Shi Bao looked at the letter in his hand with an expression full of cherishment.
Even though it was a long time ago, Shi Bao still remembered the content of the letter very clearly.
In this letter, Deng Ai praised Mi Yang as a wise and benevolent master, and pointed out that Mi Yang had achieved several great victories that shocked the world, and his future achievements would certainly be unlimited.
The most important thing is that Mi Yang does not value family background as much as others. He truly lives up to the four words of "evaluating talents based on his talents".
For example, Deng Ai used himself as the best example in his letter.
Compared with others, Deng Ai's family background is better than others, and Deng Ai can't keep up even if he tries to flatter him.
But if he is from a lower background than Deng Aibi, among all the current officials and generals in the world, there are really few who can compare with him.
Not only did Deng Ai come from a humble family, he was also a stutterer and had physical deficiencies.
But with such an origin, after Deng Ai followed Mi Yang, because of Mi Yang's appreciation, when he wrote this letter, he was already the commander of the first battalion and the position of school captain.
A lieutenant is an official with a thousand stones. No matter which force he is placed in, a lieutenant is considered a big military position. This kind of promotion speed is already very fast.
On the other hand, what about Shi Bao, who had better prospects than Deng Ai because of his excellent appearance?
He is just a peddler engaged in a lowly profession.
Of course, Deng Ai wrote the letter to recruit Shi Bao, so he only mentioned everything he had gained after meeting Mi Yang, and did not compare himself with Shi Bao in the letter.
But Deng Ai did not go out of his way to compare. Shi Bao, who was from the same background as Deng Ai, naturally made the comparison spontaneously after seeing the content in the letter.
In comparison, Shi Bao's heart was filled with mixed thoughts.
If Shi Bao had not felt too uncomfortable in the past after seeing the letter written by Deng Ai.
Because the ideas in his heart began to change, when he held the letter again, Shi Bao felt as uncomfortable as a knife cutting in his heart.
As time went by, the situation of the Battle of Xiangfan had already reached Yecheng.
And Shi Bao, who has always been popular, learned more secrets about the Xiangfan battle from the mouths of some children of aristocratic families.
Shi Bao knew that Mi Yang's performance was still outstanding in that battle.
Among the three armies of the Han army, Mi Yang can command an army alone like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, which is enough to illustrate his current power and status among the Han Dynasty.
Even Mi Yang's general Ding Feng's outstanding performance in that battle and his reputation as a "wooden captain" gradually spread in the north.
Everyone in the world was amazed at the fighting prowess of Mi's army. They also admired Mi Yang's strict management of the army and the fact that he had such fierce generals under his command.
After learning about this incident, Shi Bao felt regretful.
If he could decisively go south to join Mi Yang and gain such a reputation today, why can't it be him?
After waking up from the dream in Ye City, this thought in Shi Bao's heart became stronger.
To this day, Shi Bao finally cannot resist the strong desire in her heart and plans to take that step.
After carefully touching the letter in his hand with his fingers several times, a look of determination appeared in Shi Bao's eyes.
He carefully put the letter in his hand into his arms, and after washing himself carefully, he took out all his savings and went back to the market in Yecheng to buy a gift.
He brought this gift to the house of Xu Yun, the Minister of Civil Affairs.
Shi Bao, who had a close personal relationship with Xu Yun, knew that today was the day Xu Yun was staying at home.
After learning about the arrival of his friend Shi Bao, Xu Yun quickly asked his servants to welcome Shi Bao in.
When Xu Yun saw Shi Bao, he saw that Shi Bao was holding a gift in his hand, and he knew that Shi Bao wanted to ask for something from him again.
Shi Bao's thoughts made Xu Yun feel embarrassed for a while.
It's not that Xu Yun doesn't want to help Shi Bao.
Xu Yun valued Shi Bao very much, and Shi Bao had wanted a lot from Xu Yun in the past.
In the face of those requests, Xu Yun tried his best to help.
Because Xu Yun always felt that Shi Bao was not an ordinary person and would definitely achieve great things in the future. The goodwill he showed today might be greatly rewarded in the future.
But even if Xu Yun himself was from a high background, he still held the position of Minister of Civil Affairs.
But it would be extremely difficult for him alone to provide a step forward for a person from a humble background like Shi Bao.
Xu Yun had disappointed Shi Bao many times in the past.
So the reason why Xu Yun feels embarrassed is actually because of the guilt in his heart.
He was worried that he would not be able to help Shi Bao ask for it today.
The unnatural look on Xu Yun's face was noticed by Shi Bao.
Shi Bao knew why Xu Yun had such an expression, but he had full confidence in his purpose of coming today.
Xu Yun couldn't help him in the past, but Xu Yun would be able to do what he asked for today.
Shi Bao walked forward quickly with the gift in his hand and bowed to Xu Yun, and then he spoke:
"Bao heard that the county government will dispatch a group of soldiers recently to escort a group of prisoners south.
Bao wants to ask Mr. Xu to mediate and let Bao become one of the county soldiers."
Hearing that this was the request from Shi Bao today, Xu Yun's face showed surprise.
It’s not that Shibao’s requirements are too high, it’s that they are too low.
He is just a county soldier and not considered an official at all. It is easy to accomplish this task with his power.
It's just that in the past, Shi Bao asked for an official with a hundred stones, but today, for the first time, he asked for a low-ranking county soldier. It seems that Shi Bao has no other extravagant wishes in his heart.
Thinking that his friend Shi Bao was starting to feel disheartened, Xu Yun couldn't help but sigh: "You are of my generation, and you should be the prime minister in the court, why do you want to be a pawn?"
Hearing what Xu Yun said, Shi Bao's face showed an moved look.
But he was determined and would not change his mind just because of Xu Yun's words.
He hasn't finished eating the cake he made several years ago.
Shi Bao resolutely requested Xu Yun: "Bao wants to take this trip to sharpen himself and increase his knowledge. Moreover, Jingzhou is a borderland, so maybe I can make some meritorious deeds.
I also hope that Mr. Xu will make it happen."
Seeing Shi Bao's resolute attitude, although Xu Yun was a little reluctant to give up, he still said to Shi Bao: "Don't worry Zhong Rong, I will definitely fulfill your request."
When Xu Yun said this, Shi Bao felt uncontrollably happy.
But he still had a depressed look on his face, and then he resigned to Xu Yun.
After Shi Bao left Xu Yun's house and walked to a deserted place, a happy look appeared on his face, and he clapped his hands together excitedly.
The reason why Shi Bao asked himself to be a pawn to escort the captives south was just to have a better chance of going south to Jingzhou.
Originally, Shi Bao could leave on his own, but the journey south to Jingzhou was a long and difficult journey, and he didn't have much money with him.
In this case, is there a safer and more effective way than following the official army southward?
Moreover, the county soldiers are not regular troops, and their management has always been lax.
After he successfully arrived in Nanyang County, it was quite easy to escape from the county soldiers.
Taking advantage of the official protection of the Wei Dynasty to go all the way south, and then surrendering to the enemies of the Wei Dynasty, this can also relieve the resentment in his heart a little.
Thinking of this, Shi Bao quickly put away the excitement on his face.
He ducked out of the deserted alley and strode towards his residence.
He had to pack his bags early. According to the news he had received before, the county army team was going to set off in the next two days.
On the second day outside Yecheng, hundreds of men and women in ragged clothes and unkempt hair began to assemble out of the city under the escort of a group of county soldiers.
These hundreds of men and women were the family members of Liu Jun generals who were captured by the Wei army in the Battle of Dangyang.
There are even two daughters of Liu Bei among them.
Cao Cao didn't kill them back then, but that doesn't mean Cao Cao would treat them well.
In the past, most of them were imprisoned in Yecheng prison.
Years of prison life have made these hundreds of Liu Jun prisoners look like beggars, no matter how elegant they were at the beginning.
Even after hundreds of Liu Jun prisoners were taken out of prison, most of them felt as if they were in another world the moment they saw the sun because they had not seen the sun for a long time.
Originally, more than these Liu Jun generals and tribesmen were captured that year, but due to the low living conditions, many young or old tribesmen have already passed away.
Those who can survive to this day are all people in their prime.
And because of the fear of death, or the inability to resist the temptation of glory and wealth, a large number of tribesmen chose to surrender to the Wei army.
Due to death or rebellion, only a few hundred tribesmen out of a total of hundreds now remain.
Due to these various reasons, most of the more than 100 people who have survived today are direct relatives of Liu Jun and the Yuan Cong Generals, and they are also the most loyal to them.
Perhaps their experiences are not even mentioned in the so-called official history.
They have not made any great contributions to Liu Bei's foundation.
But not mentioning it doesn't mean they don't exist, and the fact that they haven't made great achievements doesn't mean they can't obliterate their loyalty.
After hundreds of Liu Jun prisoners were escorted out of prison, they thought the Wei army was going to attack them.
But what they didn't expect was that after they gathered, the Wei army did not raise a butcher's knife against them.
The Wei army just escorted them all the way to the south.
This behavior of the Wei army surprised the hundreds of prisoners.
What they didn't know was that it was their Majesty who was taking them home.
Qingshu Shibi will forget them, but their Majesty will not.
Shi Bao, who was among the county soldiers, turned around and watched the majestic city behind him gradually getting smaller.
His eyes were full of complex expressions towards this ancient capital that he had longed for in the past.
In this city, he was left with too many disappointments, suffered too many glares, and even secretly shed tears in this city.
Perhaps this is the treatment he deserves as a soldier today.
However, Shi Bao had too much unwillingness in his heart.
When the majestic city in his eyes completely disappeared on the horizon, Shi Bao withdrew his reluctant eyes.
Today he leaves as a soldier, and he will return with the dignity of a high official in the future!
In April of the second year of Han Zhangwu, a team of prisoners of war from Yecheng arrived outside Wancheng.
When he learned that this team of prisoners of war had arrived, Wei Annan's general Sima Yi immediately sent an envoy to contact Mi Yang.
Sima Yi had received Cao Pi's secret edict a long time ago, so he knew what he should do when this team of prisoners of war arrived.
Similarly, Mi Yang now also knows why Liu Bei asked him to escort Xiahou Shang and others to Xinye.
So after meeting Sima Yi's envoy, Mi Yang discussed with Sima Yi through the envoy's mouth all matters regarding the handover of prisoners of war between the two parties.
After seeing off the messenger, Mi Yang's face was filled with sadness.
Mi Yang knew why Liu Bei made this deal with Cao Pi. It was an equal exchange between the two emperors for their own kingdoms.
With Mi Yang's current status, that kind of exchange is not within his reach.
But after learning that most of her clansmen were about to be taken back, Mi Yang still felt sad in her heart.
Among the ministers who followed Liu Bei at that time, in terms of the number of clan members, the Donghai Mi clan must have been the largest.
"Ancestral goods have been cultivated for generations, with thousands of children and visitors, and a huge income of over 100 million." This is the record of Mi's family in the East China Sea when they were at their most prosperous in Xuzhou.
And later when Liu Bei was in danger, Mi Zhu almost devoted all his family's efforts to help Liu Bei recover.
This resulted in a high proportion of Mi clan members in Liu Bei's army.
Because of this, there is a high probability that among the hundreds of prisoners of war, there will be many members of his clan.
The importance of clan in this world is self-evident.
Thinking about the time she was about to welcome back her brothers or sisters, Mi Yang felt a little excited because of the pull of blood in her heart.
Of course, he could also foresee that once his people were released, the Mi clan of Donghai would no longer be a rootless tree in Yizhou.
As the Mi Zhu brothers who brought the Mi clan of Donghai to its peak in one fell swoop, the reason why they were unable to rapidly expand their family power in Yizhou in the past was that they lacked trustworthy clan members.
Is Mi Zhu, who can still lead the family to continue doing business in troubled times, really just a good old man?
Mi Yang didn’t believe it anyway.
Because both Sima Yi and Mi Yang were eager to complete the handover, Mi Yang set the handover date on the third day.
However, although Mi Yang is eager to hand over, he will not take the enemy lightly.
Mi Yang always remembered that Zhang He led tens of thousands of cavalry troops and was eyeing him.
The place where the two sides handed over prisoners of war to each other was outside Jiyang City.
Jiyang City is still under Sima Yi's control.
This was the only request Sima Yi made to Mi Yang.
Mi Yang had no intention of rejecting this request.
Because although Jiyang City was under the control of the Wei army, there was water flowing outside the city.
With the connection of the Jishui River, the Han army, which had the advantage of naval forces, could advance and retreat freely.
In such terrain, Zhang He's cavalry army would not be able to exert much effectiveness.
Therefore, using the outside of Jiyang City as the location for the exchange of prisoners of war between the two armies was indeed a satisfactory result for both sides.
When the day came for the two sides to exchange prisoners of war, a large number of Han warships with crimson war flags slowly appeared on the Jishui River outside Jiyang City.
The sun was shining brightly and the red flag was waving. When these numerous Han warships appeared, the Wei army inside and outside Jiyang City felt like they were facing a formidable enemy.
Mi Yang has arrived.
There is one more chapter before 12 o'clock.
(End of chapter)
This chapter has been completed!